Route search device and information control server

• US 8,364,387 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tomita, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US12/588,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20100114466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/200, 701409-414, 701/420, 701/421, 3409951-99513, 342/357.23, 342/357.44
• US Class Current: 701/118
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

A route search device includes: a parameter calculator for calculating a parameter of each section in a route; a driving repetition information obtaining element for obtaining driving repetition information in each section from an external server; a parameter changing element for increasing a parameter of first one of the sections when a driving repetition of the first one of the sections is smaller than a first parameter threshold; and a route search element for searching the route to minimize a total of parameters of the sections in the route.

Claims

1. A route search device for searching a route from a starting point to a destination, wherein the route includes a plurality of sections, the device comprising:

a parameter calculator for calculating a parameter of each section in the route based on road information in a map data;

a driving repetition information obtaining element for obtaining driving repetition information in each section from an external server, wherein the server calculates a driving repetition of vehicles in each section based on traffic information when the server receives the traffic information from vehicles for collecting the traffic information regarding a road;

a road type determination element for determining a road type in each section;

a parameter changing element for increasing a parameter of first one of the sections when the driving repetition of the first one of the sections is smaller than a first parameter threshold, and the road type of the first one of the sections is a narrow street or an ordinary road, wherein the driving repetition of the first one of the sections is determined based on the driving repetition information; and

a route search element for searching the route to minimize a total of parameters of the sections in the route,

wherein the parameter changing element maintains the parameter of first one of the sections when the road type of the first one of the sections is a highway.

2. The route search device according to claim 1,

wherein the parameter changing element increases the parameter of the first one of the sections to be maximum so that the route does not include the first one of the sections when no vehicle passes through the first one of the sections during a predetermined period of time.

3. The route search device according to claim 1,

wherein the parameter changing element decreases a parameter of second one of the sections when the driving repetition of the second one of the sections is equal to or larger than a second parameter threshold, and

wherein the second parameter threshold is larger than the first parameter threshold.

4. The route search device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a traffic jam information obtaining element for obtaining traffic jam information from the server; and

a parameter correction element for increasing a parameter of third one of the sections when traffic flow in the third one of the sections is slower than a predetermined flow threshold,

wherein the traffic flow is determined based on the traffic jam information.

5. The route search device according to claim 1,

wherein the parameter in the section is a cost including a link cost and a node cost,

wherein the link cost is calculated by adding the number of traffic signals in a link corresponding to the section and a product of a link length in the section, a road width factor and a road type factor, and

wherein the node cost is calculated by adding a product of a right turn factor and the number of right turns in the section and a product of a left turn factor and the number of left turns in the section.

6. The route search device according to claim 5,

wherein the driving repetition of vehicles in each section is a total number of vehicles, which passes through the section during a predetermined period of time.

7. The route search device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a map data memory medium for storing the map data,

wherein the route search device is a navigation device, and

wherein the traffic information includes average speed information, traveling time information, date information, position information, driving direction information and link set information.

9. The route search device according to claim 1, wherein the parameter calculator, the driving repetition information obtaining element, the road type determination element, the parameter changing element, and the route search element are all located on a vehicle.

8. A route search device for searching a route from a starting point to a destination, wherein the route includes a plurality of sections, the device comprising:

a parameter calculator for calculating a parameter of each section in the route based on road information in a map data;

a driving repetition information obtaining element for obtaining driving repetition information in each section from an external server, wherein the server calculates a driving repetition of vehicles in each section based on traffic information when the server receives the traffic information from vehicles for collecting the traffic information regarding a road;

a parameter changing element for increasing a parameter of first one of the sections when the driving repetition of the first one of the sections is smaller than a first parameter threshold, wherein the driving repetition of the first one of the sections is determined based on the driving repetition information; and

a route search element for searching the route to minimize a total of parameters of the sections in the route,

wherein, when the driving repetition of vehicles of second one of the sections is zero, the route search element set the second one of the sections not to be available to pass.